Scale



April 1, 1935.

LQJAEN lCHEN El AL SCALE Filed Feb. 19, 1951 of INVENTORS madman. BY K2011. a, fgg'y 2 a ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1935 Louis Jaenichen, Springfield Township, Oakland County, and Leonard 0. Kelley, Detroit, Mich., assignors ,to The Standard Computing Scale Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 19, 1931, Serial No. 516,999

12 Claims.

This invention relates to weighing mechanisms or scales, and more particularly to the provision of improved means in such mechanisms for establishing operative connection between a' weighing part and a weight indicating part.

Scales which embody the invention each include weighing mechanism and a horizontally disposed rotatably mounted shaft upon which indicating means, such as a needle, dial,'drumchart, or the like is mounted,'there being generally provided a vertically disposed rod for establishing an operative connection between the weighing mechanism and the rotatably mounted indicating shaft.v The lower end of the rodis generally connected to the weighing mechanism by a thermal control device and the upper end of the rod makes driving connection with the shaft to operate the indicating means.

It has heretofore been the practice to furnish the driving connection between the rod and shaft by rack and pinion means such as that illustrated in my copending application Ser. No. 496,- 450, filed November 18, 1930, such rack and'pinion connections being well known to the industry.

Rack and pinion connections at this point have proven undesirable, and for years the industry has attempted to provide a frictionless, wraparound ribbon type connection between the vertically disposed rod and the horizontally disposed indicating shaft. Ribbon connections of various forms have been tried, but all of them have proven unsatisfactory, for various reasons, among which may be mentioned the following:

Thin ribbons, for example, which are the most desirable type, since they flex readily without friction, if used without strain relieving devices, are apt to break upon sudden application of the load to the platform or other load receiving portion, the power required to drive the indicating means being usually transmitted directly through these ribbons from the weighing parts to the indicating parts. Accordingly, an object of this invention is the provision of a ribbon type connection at this point in a weighing mechanism but so designed that strain upon the ribbon means due to the sudden application of load will be eliminated.

Further, ribbon connections have been used wherein but two ribbons were provided,,one projecting upwardly and the other downwardly. When. two ribbons only are used, however, the rod in its downward movement will pull upon only one of them, and will therefore tend to cook the indicating shaft upon its bearings, thus creating unnecessary friction on these. Inother words, a two-ribbon construction tends to throw the shaft out of line and thus soon impairs the accuracy of the scale.

It had previously beenrcontemplated, in order to overcome the misaligning defect above outlined, to provide two ribbons extending downwardly from the indicator shaft on opposite sides of the vertical axis of the rod, the ends of the ribbons being secured to the rod, and the shaft return mechanism including a spring. arranged to rotate the indicator shaft reversely tothe direction rotationimparted thereto by the ribbons upon loading the scale, and thus return the shaft, to its zeroposition. This construction has also proven faulty, since; a spring used for this purpose whips the shaft around on'the return stroke too violently and soon ruins the accurate and delicate construction of the indicating means.

Accordingly, the construction of the present invention, incorporatesthree ribbons, one of which is opposed to the other two, and so arranged that misalignment and whipping are completely eliminated. .iTwovdownwardly extending ribbons act upon theindicator shaft in such manner that the .force transmittedthru one tends to. neutralize the tendency ofthe force transmitted thru the other to misalign the shaft. Further, no spring is used to rotate the rod reversely faster than the lower ribbons can move, and accordingly'there is no tendency of the lower ribbons to fiy' off the pinion or'collar, or return to any but their exact previous position;

Fur.ther,.the construction of the present invention employs forked or offset ribbons, that is to say, ribbons'in the shape of an elongated Y havingits branches parallel. Such ribbons are soarranged that whenwrapped around the shaft the leg of the Y-locates itself between the branches and accordingly does not lap or interfere with the latter as the ribbon wraps upon or unwraps from the shaft.

.11: will be understood, however, that other forms of ribbons employing offsets may be utilized with similar results and the purport of the present invention includes ribbons so constructed.

Further, instead of using three separate ribbons disposed as outlined above, it is possible to use a single ribbon having portions so turned in upon themselves as to present twoarms which project from one side of the shaft and a third arm, be-

tween the previously mentioned, two, projecting in a direction opposite, to that in which the two arms project. r

A further object is a ribbon connection of the typ defined above wherein the, ends of the ribupon the scalet bons are connected to the rod by adjustable connecting means permitting regulation of the length and tension of the ribbons.

A still further object is a scale having such a wrap-around ribbon connection in conjunction with a vertical driving rod having two relatively movable portions, the lower one or which is connected to a weighing part and the upper one of which is connected to the ribbons, the coupling between the adjacent ends of the rod portions being such that such portions may slide with re-- spect to each other to providemeans .forrelieving undue or sudden strain uponthe-ribbohs.

It is further contemplated to, incorporate in' such a coupling dashpot means adapted to smooth the action of the indicating means and prevent fluttering of the same. I v e Still further objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 isa somewhat diagrammaticview or scale parts embodying the invention; partly in section and partly inside elevation. M

Fi 2 is a View showing in greater detail the connection between the rotatably mounted shaft and theslidable rodglookihg-ina direction at'right angles to Figure I I Fig. "3 is a plan view orsone or the-ribbons; and Figs. 4 andoare similar plan views or modified forms of ribbons. a

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that there is shown, diagrammatically, weighing mechanism including amain lever'io, mlcrumed at 12- and pivotally connectedto the bottom portion M of the connectingrcd, by aithermostatic bar I6 and a link l8. This connection may be similar to that disclosed in my copendingzappli cation Ser. No. 496,450.. .Load counterbalancing means is provided, designated 8, and a load is represented bythearrow L.

'Ihe'lower portion l4 of. the .rod terminates at its upperendi'n acylindrical'casingflfl in which reciprocates the .piston secured 'to the lower extremity of the upper rodsection 24 01 the rod. The. piston need not fit. the cylinder tightly and serves in. addition as a weight: tending to draw the upperrod section downwardlyand so move the indicating meansiin axmannerpres'ently to bedescribed) when-thelow'er rod section and the bottom of the cylinderare moved downwardly and from beneath it under the influence of a. load The casing-.20 .is provided with a valve 26 loosely controlling .theg-opening 28 .in the casing and arranged to open upon sunlciently rapid downward movement of the cylinder, to free it relatively to the piston and connected upper rod section. This form of connection between the connecting rod. parts permits the lower portion H to move rapidly in response to. sudden application of the load L to the lever llLwhile at the same time therupper portion can move slowly and without load or strain being imparted to it, and to parts to which it is connected. Further, this form of connection between the rod portions, provides a dash pot action for the indicating parts connected to the'rod. portion 24, and prevents fluttering or too. rapid movement of these parts. .The-upper-portion 24 or the rod is operatively connected to a horizontally. disposed, rotatably mounted shaft 30 by means forming part of the present invention and-herinarter described, so as to rotate the shaft in its bearings, in response to the effect of the loa'd,--'and the shaft carries indicating means, such as the drum chart 3:,

"The ribbons are of elongated Y shape, as is best shown in Fig. 3, and the leg portions of ribbons 36 and 4|] being secured at their lower extremities to opposite ends of a plate 42 carried by the top of the rod section 24, while the branches of these Y-shaped ribbons are secured to and ordinarily wrapped around the collar 34, being fastened by any suitable means, such as the screws 46. The

central ribbon 38 is wrapped around the sleeve 34 in the opposite direction, and its leg portion extends upwardly therefrom, being connected to the upper end of plate 42, while the branch portionsthereof are similarly secured to the sleeves or collar, as by screws 44.

' i The means for securing the leg portions of the ribbons to the plate 42 include adjusting screws 48 threaded through lugs 50 bent from the plate 42 the screws engaging at their ends the blocks 52 secured to the plate by screws54 passed thru slots 58, to permit vertical sliding of the blocks when screws 54 are loosened. The ends of the ribbons are secured to the blocks 52 by screws 58, as shown. Other adjusting means may of course be used if desired, this specific form not being at all essential. so far as the invention is concerned.

The ribbons which are preferably of thin sheet steel of the order of .002 inches thick, are wrapped around the sleeve orv collar so that at least one turn of each ribbon encompasses the. collar. When the rod portion '24 is moved up or. down, the ribbons wrap or unwrap on the collar while movingthe same and so the indicator shaft. The legs of each ribbon (36'a-Fig,'3) will locate themselves between the branch portions, (SB-Fig. 3) as shown, sufllcient space being left to eliminate possibility of their lapping .or'int-erfering with the remainder of the ribbon.

Other .forms of ribbons embodying the ideas above ,set forth may be provided. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the ribbon 64 is in the form'of an open triangle and has two parts 66 and 68, projecting from the apex. and base respectively. The part 66 is turned into thespace l and then downwardly again, the collar on the shaft, being encompassed in the turn of part 66, the whole resembling a bow string. The parts are secured to spaced parts of a plate more or less like the plate 42, by means passing thru the perforations l2, and the ribbon is secured to the collar to prevent slipping by means passlng thru the perforations 14.

It will be-observed that this form of ribbon includes three operating portions, all joined in one integral unit, and the claims, even tho limited, to a three ribbon construction, are to be construed with ribbons of this character in mind.

Another form of ribbon shown in Fig. somewhat resembles the one of Fig. 3, differing therefrom in that one of the branches is omitted. The parts "a. and 80b of the ribbon 80 are offset i'rom each other and in wrapping, one part wraps clear or the other part, as will'be readily understood.

Concluding, it will be seen that there has been provided a wrap-around ribbon indicator driving construction for weighing scales so designed that ever, not to the specific details-herein set forth,

but only by the scope of the claims which follow. What we claim i'sz- I 1. Motion transmitting means for a weighing scale, comprising a shaft, a reciprocablerod having a portion connected to oscillate said shaft, the rod-shaft connecting including a plurality of ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting'fromthe shaft and connected to said rod-"on opposite sides of the shaft, there being atleast-threeribbons, disposed side by side on the shaft, the outer ribbons projecting from the shaft in a direction opposite to that in which the center ribbon projects from the shaft, the center ribbon being in alignment with the rod. i

2. Motion transmitting means for weighing scales and the likeincluding' a rotatably mounted shaft and a reciprocable-rod formed in two relatively movable sections, onesection being connected to said shaft to rot'atethe same upon longitudinal movementofthe rod, a'nd'the other section being connected to driving means, and yieldable coupling means-between the rod sections which permits relative-sliding movement of such sections, including a dashpot forming a'casing carried by the end of one section and a piston carried by the adjacent end of the other section and slidable in thecasing. V

3. Motion transmitting -means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted driven shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable driving and driven sections, the driven section being connected to said shaft to rotate the same upon longitudinal movement of the rod, coupling means between the driving and drivenrod sections which permits relatively sliding movement of said sections, the coupling means including a dashpot comprising a casing member carried by one of said sections and a piston member carried by the other section and slidable in the casing, one of said members serving as a weight tending to move the rod section by which it is carried.

4. Motion converting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one connected to said shaft, such rod-shaft connection including a plurality of ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting therefrom and connected to said rod section on opposite sides of the shaft, and coupling means between said last mentioned rod section and the other rod section which permits relative sliding movement of the sections, there being at least three ribbons disposed side by side on the shaft, the two outer ribbons projecting from the shaft in a direction opposite to that in which the center ribbon projects from the shaft, the center ribbon being in alignment with the rod.

5. Motion converting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one section being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting therefrom and connected to said rod section onopposite sides of the shaft, and yieldable coupling means between the rod sections which permitsrelative sliding movement of the sections, including a dashpot comprising a casingmember carriedxby one of thesections and piston-member carried by the other section and slidable inthe casing,one of said members serving as a weight tending to move the section by which it'is carried, there being at least'three ribbons disposed side by side on the shaft, the two outer ribbons projecting from the shaftzin a direction opposite to that in which the center ribbon projects from the shaft.

6,.Motionconverting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relativelymovable portions, one portion being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of ribbons secured to and encircling said shaftand having theirfree ends projecting therefrom and connected to said rod on opposite sides of the shaft, each of the ribbons including two relatively offset parts, one of which is secured to the rod and the other of which is secured to the shaft, the offset being such that as the ribbon wraps around the shaft the offset parts will not lap or interfere with each other. I

1 .7. Motion converting and transmitting means for. weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one section being connected tosaid shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbonssecured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting from .the shaft and connected to said rod portion on opposite sides of .the shaft, coupling means between the rod portions which permits relative sliding movement of the portions, including a dashpot comprising a casing member carried by one of the portions and a piston member carried by the other portion and slidable in the casing, one of said members serving as a weight tending to move the section by which it is carried, there being at least three ribbons disposed side by side on the shaft, the two outer ribbons projecting from the shaft in a direction opposite to that in which'the center ribbon projects from the shaft, each of the ribbons including two relatively offset parts, one of which is secured to the rod and the other of which is secured to the shaft, the offset being such that as the ribbon is wrapped around the shaft, the offset parts will not lap or interfere with each other.

8. Motion converting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, onesection being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting from the shaft and connected to said rod on opposite sides of the shaft, each of the ribbons being substantially Y-shaped, with the branches of the Y parallel and secured to the shaft and spaced from each other a distance greater than the width of the leg of the Y, the latter being secured to the rod, so that as, the ribbon is wrapped around the shaft, the leg of the Y locates itself between the branches and does not lap or interfere with the: latter parts.

9. Motion converting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one section being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbons secured to and encircling. said shaft and having their free ends projecting from the shaft and connected to said rod section on opposite sides of the shaft, coupling means between the rod sections which permits relative sliding movement thereof, the coupling means including a dashpot comprising a casing. carried by one of the sections and a piston carried by the other sec-- tion and slidable in the casing, there being at least three ribbons, disposed side by side on the shaft, the two outer ribbons projecting from the shaft in a direction opposite to that in which the center ribbon projects from ,the shaft, each of the ribbons being substantially in the shape of a Y, with the branches of the Y parallel and secured to the shaft, and spaced from each other a distance greater than the width of the leg of the Y, the latter being secured tothe rod, so that as the ribbon is wrapped around the shaft the leg of the Y will locate'itself between the branches and not lap or interfere with the latter parts.

10. Motion converting and. transmitting means for weighing scale and the like including s. rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one section being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting from theshaft and connected to said rod section onopposite sides of the shaft, means movablyaffixing the ends of the ribbon to said rod section, and yieldable coupling means between the rod sections.

11. Motion converting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one section being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free, ends projecting from the shaft and connected to said rod section on opposite sides of the shaft, there being at least three ribbons, dispoad side by side on the shaft the two outer ribbons projecting downwardly from the shaft and the center ribbon projecting upwardly from the shaft and aligned with the rod, and means yieldably coupling the rod sections.

12. Motion converting and transmitting means for weighing scales and the like including a rotatably mounted shaft, a reciprocable rod formed in relatively movable sections, one of said sections being connected to said shaft, the rod-shaft connection including a plurality of thin ribbons secured to and encircling said shaft and having their free ends projecting from the shaft and connected'to said rod section on opposite sides of the shaft, there being at least three ribbons, disposed side by side on the shaft, the two outer ribbons projecting from the shaft in a direction opposite to that in which the center ribbon projects from the shaft, the center ribbon being in alignment with the rod, means movably afiixing the ends of the ribbon to said rod section and {ieldably coupling means between the rod secions.

LOUIS JAENICHEN. LEONARD O. KELLEY. 

